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<\/a>Pope Leo XIV is welcomed to Spain by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, in a welcome ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez\/EWTN News<\/p>\nThe pope warned that his message of reconciliation \u201cresonates for some as naive and for others as provocative,\u201d but he said it is \u201cwelcomed in those who do not close themselves in prefabricated ideologies, but who open up to the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is always greater than us and that is why it surprises us and attracts us to paths of purification and reconciliation, in which dialogue with others \u2014 and with the Other with capital letters \u2014 becomes fundamental,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In his speech, the pope cited two great Spanish mystics of the sixteenth century, Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Jesus, both of whom he said are united by their \u201cpassion for the divine Mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n
He presented them as examples of \u201cmystics with open eyes,\u201d that is, \u201cnot alien to history, but, on the contrary, [getting at] the root of the questions, to the heart of reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pontiff also alluded to contemporary fears caused by \u201cthe darkness of reason and the violence of emotions,\u201d and proposed as an antidote the need for men and women capable of \u201cintuiting, in the darkness, the light.\u201d<\/p>\n
To illustrate this idea, he evoked the image of the \u201cinner castle\u201d developed by Saint Teresa of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Far from proposing an evasive spirituality, the pope stressed that it is not \u201can intimate flight, but a radical opening\u201d to the totus Alius et semper Novus, a theological expression that refers to the transcendence of God and that \u201cis carried out when we return to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Protecting religious freedom and conscience<\/p>\n
\u201cThis dimension of the human being is the reason why religious freedom and conscience must be protected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also quoted St. Ignatius of Loyola, who \u201cpreferred peace to weapons and saints to the powerful,\u201d and he recalled the work of the School of Translators of Alfonso X the Wise, where specialists from the three religions collaborated in the transmission of classical and medieval knowledge.<\/p>\n
He mentioned thinkers such as Averroes (1126-1198) and Maimonides (1138-1204) as examples of the possibility of cooperation between religious traditions for the common good.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur era, which apparently is shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, cries out in the deepest for peace, for a new knowledge of the human person and his inviolable dignity, for the civilization of love,\u201d he said, alluding to his encyclical Magnifica humanitas, published on May 25.<\/p>\n
The pope did not avoid addressing one of the most accentuated features of the current political context in Spain: polarization.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the fire of polarization seems to grow, instead of decreasing; human dignity does not stop being violated,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n
Aware of the social and political tension, the pontiff urged leaders to \u201cabandon the divisive and polarizing narratives of your social reality and its history, to move from sterile simplifications to the fruitful appreciation of complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n
A visit with international implications<\/p>\n
Although Leo XIV has already made other trips, this is his first major visit to a major European country. The pope briefly visited the city-state of Monaco in March.<\/p>\n
The Holy Father\u02bcs visit to Spain \u2014 the ninth that a pope has made to the country \u2014 transcends the national scope, by constituting a significant step in the pontiff\u02bcs dialogue with the contemporary Western world in which the Catholic Church has a fundamental role.<\/p>\n
This was also pointed out by Felipe VI, who took the floor before the pope and underlined his voice as a universal moral beacon, not only for Catholics: \u201c[His voice] is today a source of inspiration for more than 1.4 billion faithful; but it resonates, by its ethical content, far beyond, in all consciences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Catholic Church is at the service of this thirst of the human heart. Not in an imposing way, but with the evangelical testimony backed by a multitude of martyrs and saints, and today she is willing to put herself at the service of the future of a people who seek reconciliation and peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCatholic faith is rooted in our country and without it \u2014 you well know \u2014 our history and our culture would not be understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope also had words of recognition towards Spain for its international role: he highlighted \u201cfidelity to international law and multilateralism,\u201d as well as its commitment to peace and solidarity. At the same time, he urged leaders to strengthen internal dialogue, attend to the most vulnerable and \u201charmonize the demands for autonomy and unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
This has not been the first meeting between the Spanish royal family and the pope.<\/p>\n
On March 20, Felipe VI and Letizia traveled to Rome, where the monarch was invested in the proto-canon of the Basilica of Santa Mar\u00eda la Mayor in a ceremony that highlighted the historical links between the Spanish monarchy and this temple.<\/p>\n
Likewise, both the king and queen attended the opening Mass of the pontificate on May 18 of last year.<\/p>\n
Follow the LIVE updates from EWTN News for Pope Leo\u2019s Trip in Spain.<\/a><\/p>\n